Rossi Glossary Word of the Day

No, it’s not Neapolitan Italian, but it may as well be.

Yiddish, much like my Grandmother’s Neapolitan dialect of Italian, and some Spanish expressions have so much more than literal meaning.

For many of the expressions I use in nightly parlance during the “Late Show” come from my experience having grown up in the multicultural stew that is our beloved part of the country.

So in describing how I felt about the proposal that the New Jersey Sharing Network wanted a lawmaker to sponsor regarding organ donation, I said that I felt “from my kishkehs”, that the proposal was wrong.

Then, I mentioned to Du’Tain, my producer, that I’d have to put online the meaning of the word, “kishkeh”.

Well, here it is:

Kishkeh – “Stuffed derma (Sausage shaped, stuffed with a mixture of flour, onions, salt, pepper and fat to keep it together, it is boiled, roasted and sliced).” This is just like I told you. It’s a dish that’s served on the side with something like a nice brisket.

“Also used to describe a person's innards.

i.e. ‘You sweat your kishkehs out to give your children an good education, and what thanks do you get?’”

Again, just like I explained last night…something you say or feel that comes from the heart, as in, “…I feel it in my ‘kishkehs’”.

More “glossary” as needed.

By the way, feel free to share your peculiar expressions. I’m sure they’ll bring back some pleasant memories for members of the Rossi Posse.